New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Idea Sends Tyler Herro to Dallas, Heat Get PJ Washington and Klay

Although it's always difficult to predict exactly how the offseason will affect the upcoming NBA season, it seems clear that the Eastern Conference is going to be up for grabs. The Indiana Pacers won the conference last year in one of the most surprising championship runs in recent memory, but they are going to be without Tyrese Haliburton for the year. The Boston Celtics have always been a force in the Eastern Conference, but Jayson Tatum went down with an Achilles injury in the second round and will miss the upcoming season. The Bucks made a big move to add Myles Turner, but they had to cut Damian Lillard to do it. In short, the only three teams that seem to be locks for postseason returns are the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers. That leaves an opportunity for several teams to take advantage.

The Atlanta Hawks are certainly doing their best to seize that opportunity. After trading for Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis and drafting Georgia power forward Asa Newell, Atlanta reached a pair of huge free agent signings. The Hawks signed a marquee free agent in Wolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker to a four-year, $62 million deal in a sign and trade that sent a 2027 2nd-round pick (via CLE) to the Wolves. Then, the Hawks signed free agent guard Luke Kennard to a one-year, $11 million deal. They also got an unprotected first-round pick from the New Orleans Pelicans in a draft-night trade. Given the massive injuries in the Eastern Conference next season, it seems that the Atlanta Hawks are going for it and making moves to put themselves in position to contend. One area they could still use some depth is at small forward or another ball-handler.

Outside of essentially getting Norman Powell from the Clippers for free, the Miami Heat haven't made a ton of significant moves in free agency. They snuck into the playoffs last year after eliminating the Hawks from the play-in tournament, but there's reason to believe things will be harder this year even with the expected declines from the Celtics and Pacers. Miami got completely out-classed by Cleveland in the first round of the 2025 playoffs - they need to add more scoring and two-way contributors that can survive in the playoffs if they want to make it back to the NBA Finals after their run in 2023. They've struggled to acclimate to the departure of Jimmy Butler and it may be time to consider making some tough decisions about Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. If they were to trade either one of them, it's likely that Herro would be the more likely of the two to go. He's younger, hasn't signed a third extension yet and just had his first All-Star season.

While the value of offense-first guards with defensive questions is on the decline, there's no question that the Dallas Mavericks could use some help in their backcourt. They just gave Kyrie Irving a big contract, but Irving is projected to miss at least the first half the season and they're in the enviable position of having good front court depth. Considering that the Heat tend to thrive with deeper teams and Dallas has tradeable contracts, it's possible that they'd be interested in adding a younger, better backcourt partner for Irving than D'Angelo Russell. A trio of Herro, Davis, Irving and eventually, Cooper Flagg, could credibly be a contender in the Western Conference as soon as this season.

So how about a trade where each of these teams tries to fill a need?

It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks or any other teams should do or will do. That is all.

Hawks Receive: Dwight Powell

Heat Receive: Klay Thompson, PJ Washington, 2029 1st-round pick swap (via DAL), 2031 1st-round pick (via DAL, top-5 protected)

Mavericks Receive: Tyler Herro, 2031 2nd round pick (via ATL/HOU)

Tyler Herro Maverick — Feb 13, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) controls the ball during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Why the Hawks would do this deal: Considering how often Kristaps Porzingis misses time and the load that they placed on Onyeka Okongwu as the starting center last season, backup center is a sneaky need for the Hawks. Powell is a great veteran and deep reserve who still finishes well at the rim (78% at the rim - 95th percentile) and brings size as a seven-footer. He's not a great defender, but he can compete on that end and he's an expiring contract.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal: If they value playing Mo Gueye more minutes and are confident that they can keep Kristaps healthy by bringing him off the bench, they may not see a need to trade for Powell. Furthermore, he'd be extremely dependent on playing with Trae Young to offer value on offense since he can't create for himself and is on the older side.

Why the Heat would do this deal: Herro can sign a three-year, $149.7 million extension starting October 1st. That's an exorbitant amount of money to pay for a player that seems to be best as a second option and it's not clear that Miami has the first option currently on the roster to maximize him. By acquiring Thompson, they aren't sacrificing anything from a shooting standpoint in a Herro trade. Klay shot 40% on corner threes (84th percentile last season) and shot 39% from three overall on 7.7 attempts per game, which is very similar to what Herro shot last season. Washington improves their depth and the Heat have shown an ability to maximize this type of player in the past. He averaged 14.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, shooting 38.1% from beyond the arc on 4.2 attempts per game. He's incredibly versatile on defense and he's only 27 years old, so he could play himself into a new contract for Miami. The Heat also get an intriguing pick swap in 2029 and a very lightly-protected first round draft pick in 2031, which is likely past when Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving would be on the roster.

Why the Heat would not do this deal: Herro's playmaking is incredibly important to Miami's team. Davion Mitchell is more of a defender while Norman Powell is more of a scorer - neither can pass like Herro. He isn't an elite passer by any means, but it wouldn't be easy to replace his playmaking in the lineup and neither of Miami's acquistions in this trade can do that.

Why the Mavericks would do this deal: Herro might be overtaxed as a primary or even secondary option at the highest levels of the playoffs, but there should be little doubt in his abilities to be the third piece on a Finals team. He had the best season of his career in 2024-25, averaging 23.9 points, 5.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds on 47.2/37.5/87.8 shooting splits. He's easily capable of holding things down for Dallas in Irving's absence while also being able to complement Cooper Flagg for the long haul since he's only 25 years old. Washington is likely not going to re-sign with Dallas while Thompson is already 35 years old and doesn't bring the passing that Herro does.

Why the Mavericks would not do this deal: Herro oscilates between being a net-neutral and bad defender for the Heat - it's fair to wonder whether they'd be able to play Irving and Herro together without getting torched on defense. Having Davis, Daniel Gafford and Flagg as supporting defenders is a solid defensive context, but neither of their starters being consistent perimeter defenders might be a major issue for the Mavericks.

More Atlanta Hawks News:

New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Lauri Markkanen To The Lakers, Austin Reaves to Utah

New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Lauri Markkanen To Boston, Anfernee Simons to Utah

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